The Controversial Nobel Prize For Peace

( October 17, 2014, Islamabad, Sri Lanka Guardian) Just a few days back, David Swanson, a well known American journalist and a human rights activist penned down an article, ‘Again the Peace Prize Not for Peace.’ The topic of this article is awarding of the Nobel Prize for Peace to Malala Yusafzai and Kailash Satyarthi. He says in this article, ‘According to Alfred Nobel's will the Nobel Peace Prize must go to the person who has done the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. The persons whom the Nobel Prize 2014 has been awarded to have not worked for fraternity between nations or the abolition or reduction of standing armies but for the rights of children’. Next he raises some objections with particular reference to Malala Yusafzai. He says, ‘Malala Yusafzai became a celebrity in Western media because she was a victim of designated enemies of Western empire. Had she been a victim of the governments of Saudi Arabia or Israel or any other kingdom or dictatorship being used by Western governments, we would not have heard so much about her suffering and her noble work. Were she primarily an advocate for the children being traumatized by drone strikes in Yemen or Pakistan, she'd be virtually unknown to U.S. television audiences.’

It is not only David Swanson; there are countless others who have their reservations over the decision of awarding the Nobel Prize to Malala because they think there are so many others who deserve this prize more than Malala. George Galloway, a renowned British politician says, ‘If Malala had been murdered in a US drone strike, the UK media would never have told you her name.’ Someone commenting upon the Nobel Prize awarded to Malala said, ‘If Malala is blessed with the Nobel Prize just because the Taliban tried to murder her, an award must also be given to Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi.’ Abeer was a 14-year-old Iraqi girl. She was gang raped by five U.S. Army soldiers and killed in her house in Yusufiyah (Iraq) in 2006. She was raped and murdered after her parents and six-year-old sister Hadeel Qasim Hamza were killed. In short, the western media is replete with the comments against the decision of awarding the Nobel Prize to Malala. A silent type of movement to disrepute and defame Malala as a tool in the hands of the West is successfully running. This all is just because Malala belongs to Pakistan. The more astonishing reality is that during all such discussions one never finds any objection on the name of Kailash Satyarthi. The only reason of this silence over his name is that he belongs to India. Unfortunately our media-men in Pakistan are so pre-occupied that they don’t have ample time to counter this heinous propaganda move. Admiration and accusation at the same time reflects an unethical behaviour. Kailash Satyarthi is well known for his Non Governmental Organization Bachpan Bachao Andolan. He founded this organization in 1980 and since then has been doing untiring efforts to protect the rights of more than 83,000 children from 144 countries. His services to the suffering children are no doubt appreciable and admirable and certainly weightier than those of Malala. India must be proud of such a precious man who is an Indian by nationality but possesses characteristics which are altogether ‘Un-Indian’. Kailash Satyarthi is a symbol of care and sympathy for the ailing humanity though his country India is a symbol of religious, racial and ethnic prejudices. The worst example of her ‘narrow-minded partiality’ was observed a few days back when the members of a Pakistani delegation were fined $ 40 per participant for missing Police reporting. This Pakistani delegation was there to attend a trade exhibition at New Delhi from 11 to 14 September. As per visa protocols of year 2012, both India and Pakistan are bound to give business visas “Exemption from Police Reporting.” This non-cooperative and aggressive attitude towards Pakistan reflects the policy which has ever been very dear to the Indian Prime Minister Modi. If someone like Kailash Satyarthi were the Prime Minister of India, the Pakistani delegation might not have received such an insulting and degrading ‘welcome’ at the hands of Indian authorities.

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The Sri Lanka Guardian is a non-profit web portal founded in August 2007 by a group of concerned Sri Lankan citizens including journalists, activists, academics and retired civil servants. This portal is currently a platform for over hundred regular writers from around the world.